Welcome To the Carmel Lacrosse Website

Welcome to the Carmel Lacrosse Web page. You will find located throughout this website information regarding the Indy Crush Club Lacrosse team. You will find information regarding schedules and game times located on this website regarding Indy Crush Club Lacrosse. As the season nears and the fall clinics and tournaments approach we will update you as quickly as possible. The 2008 season is going to be an exciting year for Indy Crush Club Lacrosse and hopefully we will see you at games and any extra team outings that occur throughout the season.

Coach Coleson

Chitown Lacrosse Tournament

The Indy Crush Lacrosse team participated in the Chitown Classic this year and did very well. The team participated in the elite category and played some very good teams. These teams included the #1, #2, and #5 ranked teams from Illinois in 2007. The first game was at 9:00am against Loyola Academy and it was a close game throughout ending with a score of 10-7 with #1 ranked Loyola winning. The second game was at 12:00pm and was against #5 ranked Evanston winning 8-2. The last game of the day was at 5:00pm and was against #2 ranked Hinsdale with Indy Crush winning 12-2.

The Chitown classic was the first tournament for Indy Crush Club Lacrosse and was a good start for the team. Most notably the defensive presence on the field was much improved and had a good showing against some very talented offensive teams. Indy Crush had two players named as MVP's and they were Maggie Myers for the Loyola game and Lexi Myers for the Hinsdale game.

Also participating from Indianapolis in the Chitown Class were Indygirls and Noblesville Checkers who showed well in tournament play. All in all Indianapolis as a whole played well in Chicago and show that there is good lacrosse talent in Indiana.

Anatomy of a Girl's Lacrosse Team

There are many books written about what a team consists of so I will not attempt to recreate the relationship aspect here, but deal with the physical makeup. ie. players. Hopefully this will help parents whose children are playing lacrosse to understand the game a little better. We will begin with the offense since it is the most watched part of a team.

OFFENSE

An offense is made up of four types of players. You have the player who runs the offense, commonly known as the ball handler, and is responsible to keeping possession of the ball and running the offense. This person should be a balanced player who can shoot and also create scoring opportunities for other players. The ball will should remain in this players possession 70% - 80% of the time. This player should have the largest number of assists on the team. The next player will be your best shooter and have good shot control. They must be a good stick handler and be able to create shots in front of the goal without losing the ball. This player will most likely have the most goals per game average. The third type of player is considered to be the best one on one player to attack the goal. This player is more likely to have fewer assists and handle the ball less than the ball handler. This player will most likely be a Home. They will receive the ball most often on fast breaks attempts and be responsible for pressuring the defense with the threat of scoring on a fast break (1v1) opportunity. Last but not least you have the support player. This position is usually made up of players who are either developing skills are not as advanced in their skills as the first three types of players mentioned. The position player is no less important than the other three types and it could be said the other three types of players would not be able to function without the help of the position player. Position players can, and should strive to become versed at all positions and then recognize where they best fit into the team given their current skill set.

DEFENSE

The defense is a whole different concept than the offense and the player who fills these positions have to be a special player. On defense you have three types of players. The goalie, the low defender, and the awing. I separate out the actual positions for defense because the are better defined when looking at their particular positions. Let's start with the goalie, it is the most difficult position to play on almost any sports team. The goalie is responsible for coaching the defense while it is on the field. They are expected to not only keep track of the ball while it is in the other teams possession, but they are also expected to call out defensive plays and direct players around the arc. The goalie is the on field coach and must accept responsibility for how the defense plays. The next type of defender is the low defender who is responsible for defending the first wave of attackers with the ball. This player will most often be the most aggressive players on the field. The must be able to make body contact and react quickly as a unit to defend the ball carrier on the fast break. The Awing is the most skilled of defenders in regards to stick handling and athleticism. Awing's must defend in the open field and are responsible for not only having good defensive skills, but must also handle the ball in the open field. These are players who can play on the offensive end if needed and must also play the lower defensive positions if needed there. Truly the multifaceted team player.

Hopefully this has helped you with enjoying the game as you watch it as a fan.

The Parent

Truly the most versatile person in all of sports. Without parents the game of lacrosse would not exist. Have you ever seen the person sitting in the stands screaming at the top of their lungs for something happening on the field and yet you can't see what it is. You just have to realize their child has just been involved in some activity on the field. It may not have been spectacular to you, but it was a shining moment to them. A parent is willing to carry a pom pom in one hand, a set of keys and a check book in the other. The sacrifices are often not seen by others and also often missed by their kids. Parenting in sports is almost the reverse of what most people would consider doing to their children if they really thought about it. We place our children in the position to fail, get their hearts broken by losing, to be spoken to by a coach who is more direct than any person has ever been, we throw them to the boo birds of other teams.

You should be commended. You are teaching your children how to get along with others and deal with adversity. You are giving your heart up for your child. You put your child in the position to succeed even after failing time and time again. You teach them the joy of success and the agony of failure. A life lesson to that should be learned before we begin life in the adult world. You show them someone who will require more of them than they knew they had and they drive them further than they thought they could go, all the while showing them that caring for them is not just giving them things. You show them that others will not always support them or jump for joy at their successes, but react quiet the opposite way. Last but not least they will learn that you also played sports and you also have suffered these same things.

If you have cried in the stands and jumped up and down while screaming at the top your lungs for no apparent reason then I applaud you. We could use many more parents willing to allow their children the gift of life in team sports. Maybe one day your athlete will be in the stands watching their children play and wonder if this is how you felt and hopefully it will give them pause to smile. We can only hope others see us as we are, in love with our children.